Pacers Center: NBA Age Limit Racist

[Lone Pawn]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1387&e=6&u=/ap/20050412/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_pacers_o_neal_racism&sid=95747870

TORONTO - Indiana center Jermaine O'Neal said the NBA's desire to put an age limit in the next collective bargaining agreement could be driven by racism.

"In the last two or three years, the rookie of the year has a been a high school player. There were seven high school players in the All-Star game, so why we even talking an age limit?" said O'Neal, who was drafted out of high school in 1996 by the Portland Trail Blazers.

"As a black guy, you kind of think that's the reason why it's coming up. You don't hear about it in baseball or hockey. To say you have to be 20, 21 to get in the league, it's unconstitutional. If I can go to the U.S. army and fight the war at 18, why can't you play basketball for 48 minutes?"

Can someone explain to me how that rule is racist? I just don't understand. I seriously don't get it, but I'm sure there's a reason he said it. :shrug:

[billbuckhead]

1. There's one good reason I can think of that isn't racist.

A teenager isn't mature enough to become a multi-millionaire. It could be for the young guys protection as well as the leagues protection.

[Lone Pawn]

3. I always thought it was because of education.

They want to present at least decent role models, y'know? How is that racist?

[manic expression]

5. Well, look at the alternatives

equally young and immature teenagers are dying in a war of aggression. Equally young and immature teenagers are working menial jobs and trying to support their families. They should be allowed to go to the NBA if they are talented enough to do so.

[MessiahRp]

2. Just a thought...

How many years did it take O'Neal to become productive? He lingered in mediocrity in Portland... he obviously wasn't ready at 18.

There's very few Amare Stoudemire's or LeBron James' out there.

Rp

[democracyindanger]

11. To be fair

He was stuck behind a logjam at power forward, and once he got traded to Indy he blew up. Was he ready at 18? Tough to say. But if he had gotten enough steady minutes to develop, I'd say odds are he would've been pretty damn good.

[K-W]

4. I cant figure it out.

I dont see how the effect of it is descriminatory.

[RBHam]

6. He's saying that white players take longer to develop?

Has there been any white players drafted straight out of high school?

I can't think of one.

[Lone Pawn]

8. Nah, that would be more racist than an age cap,

since said age cap would just be 'evening the playing field.'

[aaronnyc]

9. Europeans

A bunch of European whites have been drafted out of high school.

I don't think any Americans have. Then again, there aren't really a lot of good white American basketball players.

Doesn't strike me as very conclusive evidence for O'neil's theory

[Tummler]

10. Yes, Robert Swift was drafted last year out of high school

More importantly, there are quite a few white European players drafted at age 18 out of the various pro leagues over there. Darko Milicic is probably the most infamous, but there are plenty of other Euro players drafted on potential at age 18 or 19 who haven't lived up to expectations. I guarantee that those failed draft picks are driving the owners' push to raise the age limit just as much as the domestic (i.e., African-American) early entrants.

Whatever their ethnicity, players who enter the NBA before they have sufficient size/strength/skill/maturity usually end up hindering their own development. For every LeBron James or Dirk Nowitzki, there are scores of Korleone Youngs or Nikoloz Tskitishvilis who should have gone to college or a top-level Euro pro team in order to develop as players.

Additionally, as the perpetual arms race leads NBA teams to gamble on younger and younger players, teams end up losing more and more money on players who never meet expectations. The new age limit is partially about improving the quality of the league in the long haul, but it's mostly about -- what else? -- money.

[Yupster]

7. I think he's right that you shouldn't

put an age limit on the league, but I don't see race as being a part of it.